Rail joint insulation protection system



ian" FIGJ- March 15, 1960 I P. J. KIRST 2, 23, 05

RAIL JOINT INSULATION PROTECTION SYSTEM Filed June 15, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J L w is: N!

INVENTOR. K RJ. K/RT RNEY March 15, 1960 P. J. KIRST 2,928,505

RAIL JOINT INSULATION PROTECTION SYSTEM Filed June 13, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 4 4 INVENTOR P J K167 RAIL iOINT INSULATION: PROTECTION SYSTEM Philip J. Kirst, Park Forest, 111., 'assignor to Poor 8: Comp ch c g tll a a co por t on o Delaware Application June 13, 1957, Serial No. 665,542

This: invention relates-to insulated track construction, and more particularly to track including sectionsof coninuou ail.-

-F many ye r p a P s n ra way rail ave.

for convenience-in manufacture and handling, been rolled in thirty-nine foot sections, and where the rail ends are connected to form track sections of greater length they are known as continuous rail. The rail ends maybe butted together and welded or they may be connected by frozen joints. Therefore, as a matter of definition, it will be understood that the present invention refers to a sec- .tion of track including rails beyond the normal thirty- ,nine foot length, whether they are welded together in sections totaling seventy-eight feet or up to one-half mile,

or whether when the individual rails are laid in tracl; they are connected by frozen joints. Where so-called-welded rail is used in track, or whether the rails are connected by so-called frozenjoints, as shown for example, in the Lansing Patents Nos. 2,785,862, dated March 19,1957,

and 2,793,816, dated May 28, 1957, it is still'necessary to insulate each running rail section of track from another in signal systems.

Continuous rails following the above description impose terrific destructive forces on insulated joints, more particularly the end posts, the insulated ferrules for the bolts and other parts of the insulation, which in accordance with more or less standard practice, is hard vulcanized fibre or its equivalent.

The forces which destroy or rupture the insulation are the result of the movement of the rails due to temperature variations in the rail. As can be well appreciated, the longer the section of continuous rail used between the locations of insulated joints, the greater are the pressures built up on the end posts and ferrules while the head and foot pieces are subjected to severe abrasion.

Accordingly, the present invention has for its object the provision of means for relieving insulated joints of the. destructive forces referred to, by placing What may be conveniently called sections of anchoring rail in the trackway in a manner to lap or cross the insulated joints so that the forces built up in the running rails of the track will'be transmitted through the ties to the anchoring rails thereby to by-pass the insulated jo-int location, and, because such force by-passing rails are secured over a number of ties, the stresses generated in'the running rails will be distributed over a wide area and relieve the insulated joint of concentrated destructive pressures.

Another object of the invention is to provide an insulated joint force by-passing track, comprising, a pair of rails disposed within the gauge side of the running rails, said force by-passing rails being securely anchored to the ties in the same fashion as the running rails.

A further object of the invention is to provide a combined tie plate and rail anchor unit which may serve to securely support the by-passing rails to the ties.

With the above and other objects in view which will more readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the novel cons t atio omb nat n, a a g m n of p r s. herein.-

after more fullydescribed, illustrated and claimed.

,A preferred and practical embodiment of the inven- ,tion is shown in the accompanying drawings, in which: Fig. l is adiagrammatic plan viewof a portion of railway trackeomprising running rails of the continuous type with insulated joints at the location }of the break incontinuity, and, illustrating the force by-passing rails disposed on the ties, within the gauge sides of the running rails.

Fig. 2. is a side;elevation of a conventional rail anchor sholwing theforce by-passing railanchored to the tie plate an no. Fig. 3 isratopv plan vviewof the construction shown in Fig. 2 better illustrating the boxing of the, he by rail anchors, that is using a rail anchor on the rail at each side of the tie. V

Fig. 4 ;is avdetail side elevation of the structure shown in Figure 1 takenat the location of one of the, insulated joints. g 7

Similar references ,designate. corresponding parts throughout the several figures of the drawings.

Referring-first, to, Fig. .1 it will be observed-that the traolgway includes a plurality of ties T which support the running rails 171 of one tracksectionand therunnmg rarls Z-Z ofgth-e adjacent track section resting ontie plates 3g, and whichrails and plates are secured to the ties T by conventionalfastenings and the rail anchors 4. The

.tieaat mbedded n h ba .Th runnin ra l 1 and. o a n se n are conn q cd'b insu a ed i nt A her t e m t n endsot th coati aoustail ar h l tq c ri a. ma ner to block. o .suuen t ore en o qttr qk f anothe .Theseiasul tedio new o any nventional type employing the usual head and base insulation 6, insulated ferrules for the bolts and end posts 7.

Examples of the standard type of insulated joint are numerous but for convenience reference may be made to Patent Nos. 1,997,949, Shermerhorn, dated April 16, l935;-2,161,340, Disbrow, dated June 6, 1939, or its parent case 2,099,680, dated June 6, 1939.

It is immaterial whether the running rails are used in track where the traflic is in one direction or in both directions. The important thing, however, is that rails 1-1 of one track section and 2-2 of the other track section are connected by the insulated joints A including the elements shown in the above patents. The insulation pieces of these types of joints are subjected to the destructive forces heretofore outlined.

As a means of overcoming the quick destruction of insulated end posts and other parts of insulation, the present invention provides the track anchoring and force bypassing rails 5-5 which cross or lap the location of the insulated joints A. The force by-passing and distribub,

ing rails 5-5 are mounted on the tie plates 3 in accordance with standard practice and each tie is boxed by rail only approximately thirty ties on each side of an insulated joint to transmit the forces from the running rails around the joint. It will, of course, be understood that the resistance required will vary with the cross-sectional area of the rail and the maximum temperature range from the mean temperature at which the rail was laid. If the running rail contracts away from the joint, the force by-passing rail would be contracting toward the joint.

Fig. 1 of the drawings illustrates the running rails and I the anchoring force by-passing'rails mounted in accord- H choring or force by-passing trackway-which includes the rail joints from destructive crushing and abrading forces 'iniposed in'the direction of the length ofth'e running non-running rails 5- 5. This'arrangement will not only greatly add to the longevity of the insulating material of the insulating joints, but will also substantially reduce maintenance costs from the standpoint of renderingfthe necessity for renewals less frequent. Renewals of insulation in joints for continuous rail presents a major maintenance problem in todays operations primarily from 7 "the standpoint of the time and labor involved.

Iclaim: r 1. Insulated track fco'nstruction comprising, in combination, cross ties embedded in the ballast, sections of continuous Welded running rail set to gauge and anchored to said ties by anti-creepers, said continuous sections having space between the endsthereof and receiving an insulated end post therein, joint bars connecting the sections of continuous rail atthe location-of the end post, insulation pieces between the head and foot bearingsurfaces of the bar and the related bearing portions of the rail, rail anchors securing the running. rails to the ties againstcreeping, and a pair of forceby-pass'ing and dis- 'tributing rails extending over a plurality of ties to either side of the locationof the insulated joint andlocated parallel to and between the gauge sides of the running rails and lapping the location; of the insulating joints, said force by-passing and distributing rails also secured to the ties by anti-creepers and assuming and distributing a portion of the force imposed on the running rails to the ballast and ties, thereby to relieve the insulation of the insulated joint and end post from destructive forces.

2, A method of relieving the insulation of insulated the running rails incident to traveling wheel loads, thereby" diverting a portion of said force from the running rails to the force absorbing rails through the road bed, ballast, and ties.

3. A method of relieving the insulation of insulated rail joints from destructive crushing and abrading forces imposed on running rails of railway track anchored to the ties in the ballast by anti-creepers, which consists in, mounting force absorbing rails parallel to and. between the running rails on the same ties which support the ruinning rails and which force absorbing rails are mounted on ties embedded in the same ballast as said running rails, placingrail anti-creepers on force-absorbing rails at each side of the ties, whereby, a portion of the longitudinal pressure generated in the running rails by traveling wheel loads'will be transferred through the ballast and ties to said force-absorbing rails;

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

